The mods were young, well dressed, probably rich urban dwellers that frequented 60's London whose style is the quintessential "clean" look. Its really funny how such a select group of people influenced the style of so many subsequent generations. A mod was originally identified as having well tailored clothing that fit close to the body. As with any style, bands adopted and conversely influenced their listeners' style. An obvs mod band (at least in the beginning) were the Beatles:
Skinny black tie? check
Tailored Suit? check
Mop top? check
The Jam (more on revival side), Small Faces, and The Kinks also adopted the style:
The Jam
The Kinks
Small Faces
The mods disappeared, but their style continued to be adopted by those into Northern Soul/Skinhead movement, Third Wave Ska and subsequently this new crop of Brit Rock (as I call it):
First! A clear up on what I mean (and it really does mean) by the term "skinhead". This issue perturbs me. I had a boss a whiles ago that schooled me on where exactly the term came from and what it evolved into. Jamaican immigrants who immigrated to the UK in the 50s and 60s met with working class youths. They had shaved heads, and in a show of unity, British kids shaved their heads as well, hence "skinheads". They went to dancehalls and listened to reggae. Yay! This was in stark contrast to the Mods, of whose style I am currently proclaiming the virtues of, who could afford to get fancy Beatles-esque haircuts. I'm sure it was way easier to shave ones head. Anywhooss, time passes and these low income youths were recruited sometime in the 70s by the National Front, who are duh... racist. Its so crazy that a look that defined unity among the lower class, no matter what race, was turned into the fashion of a white supremist movement. Its so sad that this look is associated with racism (wtf... why couldn't they stick to their white dressrobes with tall hoods). A typical skinhead look:
Cute! He's got a scooter! (hope he's not racist)
Hmm... the link between mods and skinheads you ask? Progressivism of the mind and social welfare. Mods were interested in beatnik philosophies (existentialism) and skinheads (and later punks) were interested in social progressivism to improve their living conditions.
Anywhooss, history lesson aside, here are some more mod looks I love:
I love this look updated, but I hate cheaters! Die Jude Die! (I mean really, did you SEE that nanny)
Miss Mod herself, Twiggy
Jean Shrimpton + Lambretta = Mod
Fav new mod: Laura Hollins
Ska kiddies with mod style influence:
The Specials
Fred Perry - a fav of mods and skinheads
Neil Barrett
DSQUARED
Dirty Pete lookin' sharp
Ben Sherman
I kind of loathe baggy clothing, it exudes... sloppiness. Therefore, mod tailored or skinhead skintight is some of my favorite elements to include in an outfit.
Next time I'll tackle punk, mod's dirty cousin.
Skinny black tie? check
Tailored Suit? check
Mop top? check
The Jam (more on revival side), Small Faces, and The Kinks also adopted the style:
The Jam
The Kinks
Small Faces
The mods disappeared, but their style continued to be adopted by those into Northern Soul/Skinhead movement, Third Wave Ska and subsequently this new crop of Brit Rock (as I call it):
First! A clear up on what I mean (and it really does mean) by the term "skinhead". This issue perturbs me. I had a boss a whiles ago that schooled me on where exactly the term came from and what it evolved into. Jamaican immigrants who immigrated to the UK in the 50s and 60s met with working class youths. They had shaved heads, and in a show of unity, British kids shaved their heads as well, hence "skinheads". They went to dancehalls and listened to reggae. Yay! This was in stark contrast to the Mods, of whose style I am currently proclaiming the virtues of, who could afford to get fancy Beatles-esque haircuts. I'm sure it was way easier to shave ones head. Anywhooss, time passes and these low income youths were recruited sometime in the 70s by the National Front, who are duh... racist. Its so crazy that a look that defined unity among the lower class, no matter what race, was turned into the fashion of a white supremist movement. Its so sad that this look is associated with racism (wtf... why couldn't they stick to their white dressrobes with tall hoods). A typical skinhead look:
Cute! He's got a scooter! (hope he's not racist)
Hmm... the link between mods and skinheads you ask? Progressivism of the mind and social welfare. Mods were interested in beatnik philosophies (existentialism) and skinheads (and later punks) were interested in social progressivism to improve their living conditions.
Anywhooss, history lesson aside, here are some more mod looks I love:
I love this look updated, but I hate cheaters! Die Jude Die! (I mean really, did you SEE that nanny)
Miss Mod herself, Twiggy
Jean Shrimpton + Lambretta = Mod
Fav new mod: Laura Hollins
Ska kiddies with mod style influence:
The Specials
Fred Perry - a fav of mods and skinheads
Neil Barrett
DSQUARED
Dirty Pete lookin' sharp
Ben Sherman
I kind of loathe baggy clothing, it exudes... sloppiness. Therefore, mod tailored or skinhead skintight is some of my favorite elements to include in an outfit.
Next time I'll tackle punk, mod's dirty cousin.
8 comments:
The beatles were not mods, they just happened to wear tailored suits and mods were generally working class
Uh, yeah, I know. I said that they dressed that way, not that they were mods. And mods were NOT working class. They might have originated that way (as all good styles do), but they certainly ended up like something I would akin to today's "trustafarians". How else do you afford tailoring?
Mods were indeed a working class thing in the UK, but they did co-opt their styling from Ivy League america - penny loafers, button down collars (a polo innovation originally) et al
Ah modism ... A way of life.
The Beatles were from the working class.
The Beatles were not identifiable as part of the mod tribe (musically speaking) - but their styling was more mod than rocker
Okay little article. Apparently somebody needs to learn their roots. Teddy Boys were the original youth cult. Rockers and Mods were a split between. Mod IS definitely a working-class culture (how else were they able to afford the clothes?)... Not just "used to be". As the beatnik element squirmed it's way into Mod it became more of a fashion then a working-class way of life. Mod itself split into the beatnik types and hard-mods who later became peanuts then skinheads. Skinheads and Mods are still very much alive. Most Skinheads are NOT racists and most are still very fashion oriented - it's just not THE most important thing. I still see people who dress in fashionable 'skinhead' attire and claim they are a 'hard-mod' due to the negative connotation the word 'skinhead' brings today. Thanks media. A Way Of Life. Long live the Mod and Skinhead.
All those clowns from the fashion pictures are supposed to be mods? Take another look at the SF pic, think just for a second, and try again with this mod thing.
By they way, The Beatles were neither rockers nor mods. As they stated in A Hard Day's Night, they were mockers.
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